The Igloo: a Thread for all Things Finley-Related

[gbgary]

That's a very handsome woman(?).

she's the musky queen.

[MadScientist]

she's the musky queen.

Don't they make soap to take care of that problem?

[vince]

The franchise tag rules coming out of the new CBA are more attractive for the teams than they were previously, which is news to me. Finley may have to be a very patient man. It'll be interesting to see how TT plays this one. It's hard to imagine not using the tag on Finley with the new rules, and the option will be potentially (assuming Finley stays healthy and behaves) attractive financially for the team for multiple years.

http://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/will-finley-sing-a-different-tune-about-the-franchise-tag

Will Finley Sing A Different Tune About The Franchise Tag?

By Aaron Nagler on Nov. 8, 2011

A few weeks ago, Packers tight end Jermichael Finley was asked about the prospect of getting hit with the Franchise Tag this upcoming offseason.

Said Finley:

If they do that, I’m down with that. I ain’t going to be (ticked) off. I just love the game, and I was just blessed to be making money. I’m just taking it all in.

Well this morning, an interesting wrinkle has been thrown into that possible discussion courtesy of Andrew Brandt over at the National Football Post.

From Brandt:

Now more than three months since it was signed, we are still learning about the nuances of the new ten-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NFL and the NFLPA.

The Tag designation not only continues, but now with a much more favorable twist for NFL teams. Under the previous CBA, the nonexclusive Tag – the vast majority are nonexclusive – was calculated by taking the average of thetop five salaries for the previous year for the position. And due to the transitional rules this season, Tags in 2011 were based upon this old calculation. However, beginning in 2012, Tag calculations are changed dramatically.

The new and complicated formula for the nonexclusive Franchise Tag is described in Article 10 of the new CBA as follows:

(A) Average of the 5 largest Prior Year Salaries for players at the position, calculated by: (1) summing the amounts of the Franchise Tags for players at that position for the 5 preceding League Years; (2) dividing the resulting amount by the sum of the Salary Caps for the 5 preceding League Years (using the average of the amounts of the 2009 + 2011 Salary Caps as Salary Cap amount for 2010 League Year); and (3) multiplying the resulting percentage by the Salary Cap for the upcoming League Year (e.g., when calculating the Tender for the 2012 League Year, dividing the aggregate sum of the Franchise Tags for players at that position for the 2007-2011 League Years by the aggregate sum of the Salary Cap for the 2012 League Year); or (B) 120% of Prior Year Salary, whichever is greater.

for tight ends -- pay attention, Jermichael Finley -- the 2011 Tag number of $7.3 million is projected to be reduced to a 2012 number of $5.4 million with a flat Cap and $5.6 million with a $125 million Cap.

Of course, as noted in (B) above, if a player is coming off a season as a Tag player or had a very high salary number in his previous year, he is still protected, as the Tag will be 120% of his previous year’s number. And, although if a player is tagged three consecutive seasons he must have the highest Tag number available, there is no limitation on the number of consecutive uses of the Franchise Tag on the same player.

The effect of this new provision, which was strongly pushed by the NFL in its negotiations with the NFLPA, is to create a couple of advantages for NFL teams: (1) the Tag numbers will be lower, pulling from a more dated pool of numbers, and (2) teams can now use the Tag designation as a greater leverage point in negotiations that is stronger than it was previously.

That last part in particular gives the Packers a pretty big hammer to wield in negotiations with Finley's agent, Blake Baratz.

Coincidentally, today is the last day NFL teams can resign players and have money count toward the 2011 cap. While I suppose we could have a surprise announcement later today, it seem much more likely that the Packers are going to wait out the year, put the franchise tag on Finley and try to work out a long term deal sometime over the offseason or next year. However, knowing they can continue to put the tag on him at the end of every offseason hardly gives them any incentive to get a deal done quickly.

It will be interesting to see if Finley changes his tune about the tag, knowing it will most likely keep him from a Antonio Gates/Vernon Davis-type contract, potentially for several years.

[vince]

I wonder if his wife knows what he's doing in his spare time while in Wisconsin:

That is hilarious in so many ways. Nice fish. I bet Finley didn't take her back to the limo though. Maybe that chick in the back who looks like she's about to spill her drink on herself. And Finley says there's nothing to do in Wisconsin.

[gbgary]

That is hilarious in so many ways. Nice fish. I bet Finley didn't take her back to the limo though. Maybe that chick in the back who looks like she's about to spill her drink on herself. And Finley says there's nothing to do in Wisconsin.

and who said finley isn't a good fit? looks totally natural to me.

[Brandon494]

That is hilarious in so many ways. Nice fish. I bet Finley didn't take her back to the limo though. Maybe that chick in the back who looks like she's about to spill her drink on herself. And Finley says there's nothing to do in Wisconsin.

haha it does look like that chick is about to spill on herself but its actually the guy behind her drinking from that cup.

[pbmax]

That fish is out of water.

[Upnorth]

Jordy Nelson is doing amazing this year, he should get More props.

I know this is the Finley thread but the Nelson thread is going no where good fast.

[gbgary]

Jordy Nelson is doing amazing this year, he should get More props.

I know this is the Finley thread but the Nelson thread is going no where good fast.

nice try! we should try to drive every thread into a ditch.

[pbmax]

Trends: at packerrats.com

Finley failed to yield to a pedestrian at the corner of Oneida and Borvan. Sources are not certain he was driving or that it was even his car, but it seems like something this idiot would do.

[mraynrand]

Trends: at packerrats.com

Finley failed to yield to a pedestrian at the corner of Oneida and Borvan. Sources are not certain he was driving or that it was even his car, but it seems like something this idiot would do.

Sounds like he could commiserate with Herman Cain.

[Upnorth]

I heard he was selling drugs to middle schoolers. (good enough ditch for you Gary?)

[denverYooper]

The franchise tag rules coming out of the new CBA are more attractive for the teams than they were previously, which is news to me. Finley may have to be a very patient man. It'll be interesting to see how TT plays this one...

It will be interesting to see if Finley changes his tune about the tag, knowing it will most likely keep him from a Antonio Gates/Vernon Davis-type contract, potentially for several years.

Perhaps he and his agent are planning on a different tack?

Early this summer, Green Bay Packers "tight end" Jermichael Finley offered a preview of why we should consider putting his position in quotes. Speaking to reporters after a workout in Minneapolis, Finley said he wanted to line up as a "standup" player as often as possible rather than in a three-point stance on the line of scrimmage.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it," Finley said at the time. "I think [from] a two-point, I can get on the linebacker quicker, I can get on the safety quicker and it's a win-win for me and [quarterback Aaron Rodgers]."

That plan could take on additional meaning if a scenario suggested by Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio plays out. If the Packers decide to place the franchise tag on him this winter, as we discussed Tuesday, Finley could argue he is a receiver rather than a tight end -- a distinction that could be worth nearly twice as much in 2012 compensation.

According to our friends at Pro Football Focus, Finley has lined up slightly more this season an outside or slot receiver -- in the "standup" position -- than he has as a traditional tight end in a three-point stance. The numbers:

2-point: 216 of 419 snaps
3-point: 203 of 419 snaps

Many players line up occasionally at other positions, most notably running backs who split out as receivers. But it gets more interesting when "occasionally" crosses over to "the majority." As we discussed, the franchise tag number for tight ends in 2012 is expected to be between $5.4 and $5.6 million. Florio projects the franchise number for receivers as about $9.5 million.

So there is an obvious financial impact to how the Packers, Finley and the NFL identify his position in terms of the franchise tag. But for now, at least, it's simply interesting to note that on a percentage basis, Finley is lining up more often as a receiver than as the position he's listed at. It's worked so far: Finley is tied for third among NFL tight ends with five touchdown receptions.

[vince]

Perhaps he and his agent are planning on a different tack?

I don't know how they'd rule on this if it comes to it, but it seems like a weak argument to me. It's obviously pretty normal for tight ends these days to line up in a 2-point stance. They do it all across the league.

On the other hand, I'd like to see how many times the guys people call receivers have lined up in a 3-point stance... Actually, I don't need to see it because it probably hasn't happened at all this year or in recent years.

Tight ends are more and more receiver (and Finley is probably more than most) but it's a pretty big stretch to categorize him as a receiver for the purposes of comparing him to other players like him in the league.

[pbmax]

I don't know how they'd rule on this if it comes to it, but it seems like a weak argument to me. It's obviously pretty normal for tight ends these days to line up in a 2-point stance. They do it all across the league.

On the other hand, I'd like to see how many times the guys people call receivers have lined up in a 3-point stance... Actually, I don't need to see it because it probably hasn't happened at all this year or in recent years.

Tight ends are more and more receiver (and Finley is probably more than most) but it's a pretty big stretch to categorize him as a receiver for the purposes of comparing him to other players like him in the league.

It would be a long and ugly process involving the Special Master/arbitrator/Judge Judy. Eventually, the Ravens and Terrell Suggs split the difference in their disagreement over the franchise tag and went 1/2 DE, 1/3 OLB.

Edit: Should be 1/2 DE and 1/2 OLB, of course.